Note: This story contains spoilers from “Industry” Season 3, Episode 4.
When Sagar Radia was first told that his character would be getting a bottle episode in “Industry” Season 3, he was flattered but brushed off the idea.
“I didn’t really take it too seriously,” Radia told TheWrap. “I’ve been in this game for a minute and people say things, and then it goes up the chain and something changes.”
Series co-showrunner Mickey Down first mentioned the pitch at a screening for the Season 2 premiere, before the HBO financial drama had even been renewed for a third season. To Radia’s surprise, the seemingly errant pitch came true.
“Cut to like a year later, once we started in pre-production and filming, I realized the reality of what was going to be,” the actor said “I was incredibly flattered and humbled and grateful, and all the really nice adjectives.”
Since Season 1, the brutal Rishi has been a fan favorite. An associate and market maker on the CPS desk, Radia initially got a great deal of positive feedback about Rishi’s vulgar brand of humor. “His off-camera dialogue a lot of people found quite funny,” Radia said. His role was increased in Season 2 when Rishi, Harper (Myha’la), Eric (Ken Leung) and Dan (Alex Alomar Akpobome) planned to leave Pierpoint & Co.
But nothing Radia has done on “Industry” thus far holds a candle to “White Mischief.”
Season 3 Episode 4 zooms in on Rishi, revealing that the man known for his risky trades is just as impulsive in his personal life as he is in his professional one. That personality trait has led to a staggering amount of debt. Initially, the episode follows Rishi as he tries to score enough money gambling and on the trading floor to pay back his loan shark. But as the night wears on and Rishi drinks more and uses more drugs, “White Mischief” quickly spirals into a deep dive into one man’s deeply destructive addictions.
“It suits Rishi because he is a hyperbolic character. He works at 100 miles per hour. So in order to tell that story and show him in a vulnerable way, this was the best way to do it,” Radia said.
One of Radia’s first interactions with Kit Harington, a longtime fan of “Industry” who stars as Henry Muck this season, actually revolved around this episode. “He goes, ‘I love a bottle episode when a show earns it. I think this is a show that’s earned it,’” Radia recalled. “For it to come from someone like that was a huge compliment.”
To prepare for his big moment, Radia sat down with director Zoé Wittock and planned out the emotional beats of the episode. By that point, Radia “very much had a grasp” of the tempo and pace he needed to play Rishi. Planning out these emotional moments was especially important since the episode was filmed out of order.
“I just needed her to pull the strings a little bit to make sure that it was consistent with where we were in that schedule and in that shoot for the episode,” Radia said.
Radia also praised showrunners Down and Konrad Kay for being “very collaborative” about this journey. “I remember Konrad sent me an email saying, ‘Listen, Mickey and I obviously don’t come from a British South Asian background. So if you feel any of the cultural aspects aren’t landing, then let’s have a conversation about it, and we can figure out what works best,’ ” Radia recalled. “But to their credit, they’re such skilled writers and fantastic at what they do that I feel like they nailed it.”
Another aspect Radia had to worry about were the stunts in “White Mischief.” The episode’s most chaotic scene revolves around a highly intoxicated Rishi going to a strip club to celebrate the money he’s just won. Partially because of drugs and alcohol and partially because of his own ego, he gets into a fight.
“It’s a moment in the story where Rishi has massively hit rock bottom. He’s lying on that floor, blood all over his face, drunk out of his head, and all he could think of is, ‘Where’s my bag of money?’” Radia said. “He reaches for it and then stumbles out, and you see the bruises in the light of the morning, and his wife has just called him. It’s as rock bottom as you can get.”
Radia worked with a stunt choreographer for the scene, which required him to repeatedly crack his neck.”It’s about the reactions and the movements at the right time and trying to get the angles of the camera. It was really good fun,” Radia said. “The makeup department would jump in and throw all the blood on me.”
Repeatedly, Radia emphasized how “grateful” he is for this thrilling, vulnerable and high-stakes episode.
“People from my British, South Asian background, we don’t get these type of opportunities where we get to front an episode like this, especially on arguably the biggest television network in the world at the highest level,” Radia said. “I think of Riz Ahmed when he did ‘The Night Of’ and Himesh Patel when he did ‘Station Eleven,’ following in their footsteps and being able to get my own episode and really put my spin on it. That was was a real moment for me.”
New episodes of “Industry” premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and stream on Max.
